Downstairs, Upstairs
"Downstairs, Upstairs" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the Murdoch Mysteries and the forty-third episode of the series. It first aired on March 8, 2011 (UK). Summary When Percival Jenkins, the master of a wealthy household, is found face down in his morning porridge, Murdoch is plunged into the complex and stratified world of the upstairs rich and downstairs poor. Murdoch comes to realize that any one of the household's many occupants had reason to murder the malevolent and lecherous old man: his cold-hearted wife, either of his two sons - the lazy, resentful elder and the dutiful, aggrieved younger Nicholas Jenkins, the younger son's snubbed fiancée, or any of the downstairs staff - the butler, Mr. Heward, the footmen, the matron, or any of the various put-upon maids. Meanwhile, Murdoch is surprised and delighted when Dr. Ogden shows up from Buffalo - she's a friend of the Jenkins' family. Murdoch asks Dr. Ogden to cast a traceless mold of the fatal wound which she declines at first. But Dr. Garland encourages her to assist Murdoch. When Dr. Francis catches the Detective and the Doctor working in his morgue, Francis finally has words with Murdoch and comes to understand why they have been at odds from the start. He tells Dr. Ogden that "we belong were we belong" before he quits - much to the chagrin of Inspector Brackenreid. With Francis out of the picture, Murdoch suggests that Dr. Ogden stay on the case. Detective Murdoch discovers that many maids have been let go over the years for their "l''oose morals''." Further confusing is the statement by the victim's elderly mother insists that Alma, who had been a maid at the house 20 years previous, is the killer but Alma had died a few years earlier. Character Revelations * Dr. Francis gave up his 15 year career position at Scotland Yard to move to Toronto, making his Canadian wife happy, which he realizes was a mistake. * Brackenreid convinced the top brass to hire Francis from Scotland Yard after Dr. Ogden had left. Continuity * In a less than auspicious manner, Murdoch gets Dr. Ogden back working in the morgue. * Dr. Garland unwittingly encourages Julia to return to the City Morgue and Toronto. Historical References * Cleverly, Dr. Ogden pours green Jell-O, a dessert and "all the rage in Buffalo", into a head wound of a corpse to obtain a mold of the lethal weapon, without it adhering to or damaging the brain tissue. * Crabtree’s idea for a board game references Cluedo (a play on "clue" and "Ludo", which is Latin for "I play")— known as Clue in North America — a murder mystery game devised by Anthony E. and Elva Pratt from Birmingham, England in 1949. Pratt's original playing rules called for ten players, the same amount of suspects that Murdoch has represented by chess pieces. Trivia * Simon Williams, who plays the butler James Heward in this episode "Downstairs, Upstairs", played James Bellamy in the original "Upstairs, Downstairs" TV show. * The exterior shot of the Jenkins' house is the same house, with some added plants, used for the Darcy Garland residence and Julia's private practice in Stroll on the Wide Side, though the interiors are completely different. Errors * The Jell-O used by Dr. Ogden is green, presumably lime. The original Jell-O flavors dating to the late 1890s are raspberry, orange, lemon, and strawberry and did not include lime or any other flavours that were green. Cast Main Cast Yannick Bisson as William Murdoch Hélène Joy as Julia Ogden Thomas Craig as Thomas Brackenreid Jonny Harris as George Crabtree Recurring Cast Paul Rhys as Dr. Francis Jonathan Watton as Darcy Garland Guest Cast Simon Williams as James Heward Craig Olejnik as Nicholas Jenkins Sarah Power as Clara Thorn Patricia Collins as Mrs. Jenkins Sr. Lynne Cormack as Nora Jenkins Thomas Gibson as Victor Jenkins Brigitte Robinson as Velma Allen Melanie Leishman as Nancy Booth Benjamin Blais as Billy Slater Ramona Pringle as Florence Culliwick Uncredited Cast Rebekah Miskin as Alma Parsons Gallery DwnStrsUpstr 1.PNG|Dr. Ogden visiting Toronto DwnStrsUpstr 11.PNG|Dr. Francis catches Murdoch and Ogden in the morgue DwnStrsUpstr 6.PNG|We belong where we belong 404 Downstairs, Upstairs 3.PNG|Working it out|link=Blackboard 404 Board Game 4.PNG|Which room the murder weapon came from... 404 Board Game 6.PNG|Will tell us who the killer is... 404 Board Game 5.PNG|Could be a good board game, sir. DwnStrsUpstr 24.JPG|Clara Thorn and Heward Category:Season Four Category:Season Error